The Peach Kings – “Lonely” Music Video

In the slow-moving yet visually challenging for The Peach Kings‘ “Lonely”, director Paul Trillo pans back and forth between the New York skyline and a number of opaque and transparent human subjects, both opaque and transparent.

According to director Paul Trillo, “The concept behind the video was to convey multiple aspects of loneliness. The feeling of being trapped (or tied down in this case), holding onto what is no longer there, and observing something that no one else is seeing. I think the backdrop of the NY skyline helps emphasize the scale of loneliness.”

INTERVIEW W/ PAUL TRILLO CONTINUED BELOW

 

According to director Paul Trillo, “The concept behind the video was to convey multiple aspects of loneliness. The feeling of being trapped (or tied down in this case), holding onto what is no longer there, and observing something that no one else is seeing. I think the backdrop of the NY skyline helps emphasize the scale of loneliness.”

In order to create a panorama effect, the camera is positioned from a single axis, quite independent from the subject matter, so as to further stress the idea of loneliness. Given the nature of the filming style, a huge amount of work was done in post-production to control the speed or panning and the look of the human subjects.

“The empty bodies that fill the view almost appear as voids, something missing that can’t be grasped or filled in…” explains Trillo. “We had a couple hours to shoot the video because the sun was setting so the whole thing was an giant experiment. I thought it was going to be an utter failure; fortunately things came together in the computer. There is quite a lot of post production. The video is shot similar to [how] panoramic photography [is], where you set the camera on a tripod and shoot a 360º in multiple shots. The camera movement is all controlled in post. The hollow or invisible people are chroma keyed suits that are replaced with a background plate.”

Included below is a “Making Of” breakdown.

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Written by
Vee Hua 華婷婷

Vee Hua 華婷婷 (they/them) is a writer, filmmaker, and organizer with semi-nomadic tendencies. Much of their work unifies their metaphysical interests with their belief that art can positively transform the self and society. They are the Editor-in-Chief of REDEFINE, Interim Managing Editor of South Seattle Emerald, and Co-Chair of the Seattle Arts Commission. They also previously served as the Executive Director of the interdisciplinary community hub, Northwest Film Forum, where they played a key role in making the space more welcoming and accessible for diverse audiences.

Vee has two narrative short films. Searching Skies (2017) touches on Syrian refugee resettlement in the United States; with it, they helped co-organize The Seventh Art Stand, a national film and civil rights discussion series against Islamophobia. Reckless Spirits (2022) is a metaphysical, multi-lingual POC buddy comedy for a bleak new era, in anticipation of a feature-length project.

Vee is passionate about cultural space, the environment, and finding ways to covertly and overtly disrupt oppressive structures. They also regularly share observational human stories through their storytelling newsletter, RAMBLIN’ WITH VEE!, and are pursuing a Master’s in Tribal Resource and Environmental Stewardship under the Native American Studies Department at the University of Minnesota.

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